


What Would Undyne Sound Like?

by ArgentDandelion



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Accents, Analysis, Biology, Character Analysis, Gen, Linguistics, Nonfiction, Speech Disorders, Teeth, Weird Biology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2020-07-31 16:04:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20117800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgentDandelion/pseuds/ArgentDandelion
Summary: A thorough four-part series on what Undyne would realistically sound like.





	1. Part 1

What Would Undyne Sound Like? (Part 1)

**Part 1**, [Part 2](http://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175284346394/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-2), [Part 3](http://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175519324193/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3), [Part 4](http://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175757397206/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4)

* * *

**Introduction**

I once watched a particular video of Undyne speaking on YouTube. The video’s terrible Undyne voice was so repulsively ill-matching to my impression of what Undyne would sound like that I immediately stopped listening and got away from it. Then I realized: what made me so sure the terrible Undyne voice was any less valid than the other, varied Undyne voices I listened to?

Strictly speaking, Undyne’s “canon” voice is just voice grunting sound effects. As her voice grunts are among the deepest in the game, TVTropes claims it’s an example of a Contralto of Danger.[1](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175054437952/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1#fn:1) Yet, some of the Undyne voices I’ve heard aren’t deep, “creaky” (for lack of a better word) contralto-like ones, but more typically feminine ones, and I still like them.

Realistically speaking,[2](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175054437952/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1#fn:2) what would Undyne sound like?

* * *

**Vampires and “Fang Thpeak”**

Realistically, Undyne might sound like a vampire. Vampires and other fanged supernatural creatures are frequently depicted as having a sort of speech impediment where spoken sibilants (“_s_”, soft “_c_”s, and occasionally _z_) become _th’s_ or _sh’s_.[3](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175054437952/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1#fn:3)

The technical explanation for this is that prosthetic teeth actors wear to depict vampires forces a change in the position of the tongue. Sibilants are more likely to be mispronounced as interdentals (the two “_th_” sounds, more below) when the incisors are altered or missing, as with fake buck teeth. With prosthetic fangs, it’s more common for sibilants to become “_sh_” sounds, caused by the tongue being forced back by wider, longer canines.

The character The Master from season one of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ is an example of this; when he says “Nice dress” he pronounces it “Nishe dresh”, not “Nithe dreth”. It is, however, possible for “vampires” (actors portraying vampires with prosthetic teeth) to work over their fang-induced speech impediments: the actor Juliette Landau, prior to taking up the role of Drusilla in _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_, wore her prosthetic fangs for an extended period specifically to learn how to speak properly with them.[4](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175054437952/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1#fn:4)

However, Undyne has (presumably) natural fangs. Their dimensions may be different from prosthetic fangs. In width and thickness, they may even be more like upper dentures than prosthetic fangs. If so, Fang Thpeak could still happen, but to a lesser degree. Still, as Undyne surely always had fangs, it’s likely that she’s had years to speak through them.

Likening her teeth to prosthetic vampire fangs isn’t a perfect comparison, though: vampire teeth are only over the incisors. For Undyne, the position of her fangs correspond with both the incisors and lateral incisors, if not her entire mouth, and her incisors are tilted strongly to the viewer’s left.

Here’s an example of dialogue Undyne might mispronounce:

> “That’s where I met Alphys for the first time!! I was looking for cool swords, when I saw her… Uh, standing there, staring into the abyss. She looked pretty… Um… … contemplative.”

(Assume “Alphys” is pronounced “AL-fiss”, like “physical”, not “AL-feez” like “fees”)

> “That’sh where I met Alfish for the firsht time!! I wash looking for cool shords when I shaw her…uh, shtanding there, shtaring into the abyssh. She looked pretty…um..contemplative.”

* * *

  1. [Sample:](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMOUF_A3HFZA&t=YjljZDVlYWQ2OGM4YWUxY2Q1YmYxOTY0MTUzMjUxNmY2ODY3MzA5YSwwbVVwS0lhZA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175054437952%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1&m=1) Female Commander Shepard (voiced by Jennifer Hale) in the Mass Effect video game series. **(Warning: She uses profanity.)** Jasper from Steven Universe is also an [example](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DV0tSHsgyncE&t=OTJjMDg0YmVlMzhhYWE0MGE3YjA2ZjM2ZWM2MzViZTQyNWE2NmRjZSwwbVVwS0lhZA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175054437952%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1&m=1); in fact her voice is so masculine that when first seeing her I had trouble with the correct pronoun to use. [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175054437952/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1#fnref:1)

  2. Papyrus can talk despite being just a skeleton, and some characters can talk despite lacking even mouths. This would suggest they can produce speech from very unusual means; “they talk through magic” would be plausible here. But then what would there be to talk about? [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175054437952/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1#fnref:2)

  3. The explanation for this comes from the [TVTropes page](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Ftvtropes.org%2Fpmwiki%2Fpmwiki.php%2FMain%2FFangThpeak&t=ZmJkZTYyOTk1NjVjMmUzZjk3M2QwN2U5ZjBkYzczMjEwMDlkZTQ2NCwwbVVwS0lhZA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175054437952%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1&m=1) “Fang Thpeak”, hence the name. [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175054437952/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1#fnref:3)

  4. As it takes a while to learn how to speak properly with fangs, it’s possible Undyne had the fish monster equivalent of a childish lisp as a child, and didn’t know how to pronounce certain consonants well yet. [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175054437952/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1#fnref:4)


	2. Part 2

**Other Consonants**

Unlike human actors with prosthetic fangs, Undyne’s teeth are probably actually sharp, not merely sharp-looking. Her big, sharp, tilted fangs would likely make it difficult to pronounce certain consonants that use the teeth, namely the labiodental and interdental consonants.

In the words of [Facweb.furman.edu](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Ffacweb.furman.edu%2F%7Ewrogers%2Fphonemes%2Fphono%2Flabdent.htm&t=Y2Q2NWJkMzVkODUxZDY1N2Q0YTY5ZDE0NjdiYzcyMTRkNzlmZGI2Nyxhb1VhUFRqeQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175284346394%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-2&m=1), “Labiodental consonants are consonants for which the flow of air is restricted by the lips and teeth.” **/f/** (the phoneme spelled _f_ in fine) and _/v/_ (the phoneme spelled _v_ in _vine_) are labiodental consonants, so pronouncing the word “violence” would likely be violent to her own tongue.

From the same site as above: “Interdentals are consonants for which the flow of air is restricted by catching the tongue between the teeth.” **/q/**[1](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175284346394/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-2#fn:1) (the phoneme spelled _th_ in _thistle_) and **/ð/** (the phoneme spelled _th_ in _this_) are the two interdentals of Present-Day English. Pronouncing these would be especially difficult and/or painful to pull off.[2](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175284346394/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-2#fn:2)

There is a workaround few people would notice, though: she might be able to get away with pronouncing things like this (literally, “this”) with few people noticing if she pronounces “this” as “fis” (using a labiodental consonant, which may be less painful) or “dis”.

The nasal consonants [are made](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Ffacweb.furman.edu%2F%7Ewrogers%2Fphonemes%2Fphono%2Fnasal.htm&t=MjQ3ZWMzNGRlNWRjMWY3MDE1YmUyNTZhMzg1Y2Q4ZDE4NzU3ZjUwNixhb1VhUFRqeQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175284346394%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-2&m=1) through blocking the oral (mouth) passage and allowing the air to escape through the nose. Present-day English has three nasals: **/m/** (spelled _m_ as in _mail_), **/n/** (spelled _n_ as in _nail_), and **/h/**[3](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175284346394/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-2#fn:3) (spelled _ng_ as in _sing_). Undyne seems to have no nostrils, so it’s likely she cannot pronounce those consonants.

The below sentence illustrates how Undyne would realistically speak. As I don’t know how she would pronounce labiodental, interdental and nasal consonants, rather than changing the spelling I’ve emphasized them with formatting. Labiodentals in **bold**, interdentals in _italics_, and nasals are in **_bold italics._**

> “_Th_at’sh where I _**m**_et Al**f**ish for the **f**irsht time!! I wash looki**_ng_** for cool shords when I shaw her…uh, shtandi_**ng**_ _th_ere, shtari_**ng**_ into the abyssh. She looked pretty…u**_m_**..conte_**m**_plative.”

(I’m not sure if “m” and “n” count as nasals when in the middle or end of a sentence rather than the beginning.)

* * *

  1. It’s actually not /q/, but that’s what Markdown turns the correct symbol into when the symbol is entered. [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175284346394/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-2#fnref:1)

  2. Unless, of course, she has invisible/nearly invisible tooth caps or a protective structure, a la Invisalign™. Or her tongue is thick-skinned, callused or armored (some fish have bony tongues). Or, most simply, her teeth aren’t as sharp as they look. [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175284346394/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-2#fnref:2)

  3. It is not actually _/h/_; this is Markdown’s approximation of it. [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175284346394/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-2#fnref:3)


	3. Part 3

**Accents**

Among the various Undyne voices of YouTube, [GaelRice](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fchannel%2FUC6pVSG2qZLuDU-gvAlfd_xQ&t=MzNmOTkwMTlkNTFlM2Q1MjdjN2UyODU1MjA5MDcwYWNhNmRlZWJlZSxMZE8wQlRyTA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175519324193%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3&m=1)’s Undyne voice is one worth pointing out. Though GaelRice’s Undyne voice is not the Terrible Undyne Voice (TUV) I mentioned [earlier](http://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175054437952/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1), I perceive it as so ill-matching to Undyne that it is distracting, unpleasant and disrupts immersion. But what makes me so sure Undyne’s voice would have a “plain accent” (having no accent at all is impossible) and be pleasant to listen to?

According to the Internet, if one gets enough people with a speech deficiency into one location, it becomes an accent.[1](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175519324193/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3#fn:1) It’s probably meant as a joke, but it does illustrate a point on the development of accents in geographically isolated areas.

Assuming the monsters speak English rather than “Monsterish” magically insta-translated to the human listener’s language, it would likely sound distinctly different from the English of nearby human populations. After all, monsters had been isolated from humans for hundreds if not thousands of years, which is plenty of time to develop a distinct accent. Indeed, unless they all slavishly copied human speaking patterns (e.g., from fallen humans and/or human media), which is unlikely, they probably kept “Underground accents” to the present day of the game.[2](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175519324193/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3#fn:2)

Furthermore, if the various boroughs of New York City can ([allegedly](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.atlasobscura.com%2Farticles%2Fwhy-theres-no-such-thing-as-a-brooklyn-accent&t=YTkzYzIxMzZiNDcwNzE2NGU2MjFjYjNjYjRkYjZmMjlhOWM4ZGMwMSxMZE8wQlRyTA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175519324193%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3&m=1)) have different accents, it’s certainly possible there can be different accents or dialects for different parts of the Underground.[3](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175519324193/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3#fn:3) Thus, Undyne could very well have a “Waterfall accent” stacked on top of her physiological limitations.

This Waterfall accent might reflect the pronunciation difficulties of monsters with fishlike anatomy. While only two/three Waterfall monsters seen have fishlike anatomy like Undyne, she does mention “Waterfall’s underwater citizens” in a Papyrus call.[4](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175519324193/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3#fn:4) It’s possible the monsters one comes across in Waterfall are not truly representative of Waterfall’s population, instead only showing those that can survive on land or in an un-submerged state (i.e., Onionsan) for long periods of time.

Low-frequency (low-pitched) sounds (according to [Moment of Science](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Findianapublicmedia.org%2Famomentofscience%2Fhow-sound-travels-under-water%2F&t=MTYxYWUzYjcxZGZlOTNkNjA5ZjQ1ZWQwYmQzYWQ2MzhlY2JjMGVkNixMZE8wQlRyTA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175519324193%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3&m=1)) travel farther underwater, so if Undyne is trying to communicate with someone far away who’s underwater, a loud and low-pitched sound (like whale song) would be effective. (Assuming underwater citizens even communicate via sounds underwater and not through other methods) Lower-pitched sounds are also less distorted going through the water-air interface, so underwater citizens talking to those above water would probably learn to use lower pitches.

It’s also possible some monsters’ physiological inability or difficulty in making certain sounds would be unconsciously mimicked by those actually capable of making the sounds. After all, in an [experiment](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smithsonianmag.com%2Fsmart-news%2Fguy-simultaneously-raised-chimp-and-baby-exactly-same-way-see-what-would-happen-180952171%2F&t=OTM2ZDcwMjczZmU4ZmVjOGVhZTQ2M2NiYTkxNTY5YWJkYzAwYzI5MCxMZE8wQlRyTA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175519324193%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3&m=1) that raised a chimpanzee and human infant together, the human came to imitate the chimpanzee’s noises, even though the human had a much greater potential for pronouncing human language than the chimpanzee.

* * *

  1. I unfortunately can’t recall the exact source; I may very well be mis-remembering it. The closest match comes from [here](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FShowerthoughts%2Fcomments%2F476vhd%2Fif_enough_people_in_the_same_area_have_the_same%2F&t=NzI5OTYwZTc2ZDhlYjlmYmU3MmJhNzE4YWRhNjliYzBlMWViNWU1OSxMZE8wQlRyTA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175519324193%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3&m=1). [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175519324193/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3#fnref:1)

  2. There’s no way of knowing what an “Underground accent” would sound like, but more “cartoony” takes on their voices may be justified as the product of an “Underground accent”. [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175519324193/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3#fnref:2)

  3. Underlab [estimates](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FR2uyVaFo188%3Ft%3D172&t=ODMyOWMzYzc5YzE1NzU2MzY0NzM1MzE0OGY3ZGUyMmFmNzU5ZmI2YSxMZE8wQlRyTA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175519324193%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3&m=1) the (explorable) part of the Underground is 24.8 miles.  
The longest distance between the boundaries of New York City, from its northeast to the southwest, is about [35 miles](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walksofnewyork.com%2Fblog%2Fnyc-numbers&t=YjVjYzA3MDQwOGU0ZDE2NDE4ZTE3NGE0YTAxMzFjNTUxZTI0MzlkYixMZE8wQlRyTA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175519324193%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3&m=1). The unexplored parts of various regions and unseen regions, such as “the bay”, (Papyrus hangout, referenced [here](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Flparchive.org%2FUndertale%2FUpdate%252012%2F&t=NGE3YTg1ODNmMWQ1MTExNzA4ZTQ5ZDExZTcyODRjMzUzZjg3OTFkOCxMZE8wQlRyTA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175519324193%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3&m=1), and mentioned [here](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FUndertale%2Fcomments%2F41y3gk%2Fthis_has_always_bothered_me_wheres_the_bay%2F&t=ZGI0MDhhZjE0ZWFiY2NmZTk5N2VjMzliZmU2MGI1YmVjOTc0N2ZjYyxMZE8wQlRyTA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175519324193%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3&m=1)) combined, might make it comparable in size to New York City. [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175519324193/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3#fnref:3)

  4. “Undyne: Those umbrellas were ASGORE’s idea. He says he doesn’t want anyone to catch a cold. Waterfall’s underwater citizens couldn’t care less, though.” -[Papyrus & Undyne Calls](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fpcy.ulyssis.be%2Fundertale%2Fcalls&t=NjViODVkZTcwYjZmYmY3ODAxYWVlNzE3MjM4ZGE0Zjg0MjNmNTkyMSxMZE8wQlRyTA%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175519324193%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3&m=1) [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175519324193/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-3#fnref:4)


	4. Part 4

**Other Considerations**

So far, only the lips, teeth, and tongue have been considered, but other parts of the vocal tract influence how people sound.

While several varieties of birds (most famously parrots) are able to speak human words, their vocal tract configuration is different from humans. This, along with the fact they’re so much smaller than adult humans, is likely the cause of their distinctly different voices.

Though it was previously assumed monkeys and apes’ vocal anatomy was to blame for their inability to reproduce human sounds, macaque monkeys could indeed talk, if they only possessed the brain wiring to do so. A simulated macaque voice speaking “will you marry me?” sounds gravelly and less intelligible than the (simulated) human voice used for comparison, but it should work in most contexts.[1](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175757397206/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4#fn:1)

**Swim Bladder**

Some varieties of fish vocalize using gas-filled organs called swim bladders. The resulting sounds have been described as thumps, purrs, knocks, and pulses. There aren’t any fish that can imitate human noises, but theoretically a monster could produce humanlike sounds via fishlike means. There’s no way of knowing whether Undyne speaks via a swim bladder, though; people don’t typically mention their organs in conversation.

**Nasal Passages**

If Undyne has no nasal passages in addition to having no nostrils, she wouldn’t have nasal resonance when speaking. According to [The Voice Book](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dioz9IIGQTYIC%26lpg%3DPA93%26ots%3Dw05YgQMWbK%26dq%3Dnose%2520OR%2520nasal%252C%2520voice%252C%2520resonance%26pg%3DPA93%23v%3Donepage%26q%3Dnose%2520OR%2520nasal%252C%2520voice%252C%2520resonance%26f%3Dfalse&t=YjBjZGRhYTdlZTJmYzg4ZWQ1OTJkZDg3NDkzNzQ3NjY2ZDVlMTdlMyw4UXpGNVpoNg%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175757397206%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4&m=1), People may describe the sound of someone with a bad cold as “nasal”, but what they are hearing is actually a lack of nasal resonance. Nasality happens when the breath-stream is permanently directed to the nose, causing undesired nasal resonance. According to the book, voices colored with nasality are often described as thin, metallic, or reedy in quality, and in some cases they sound a bit duck-like. Whatever Undyne’s voice sounds like, it surely doesn’t fit those descriptions, due to a lack of nasal resonance.

The voice is modified and amplified by the vocal tract resonators: the throat, mouth cavity, and nasal passages. These produce a person’s recognizable voice. If Undyne has no nasal passages, she would lack one of the vocal tract resonators.[2](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175757397206/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4#fn:3)In words of [Voice Academy](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fuiowa.edu%2Fvoice-academy%2Fyour-natural-resonance&t=YWZiNTVmODZhYzJkMTFhYjljNmFjYTBhNWQ3MTY1YzQ1NmFhNTBlZSw4UXpGNVpoNg%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175757397206%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4&m=1), resonance refers to the “amplification, richness, and quality” of the voice, and “rich” voices are often described as pleasant. Thus, Undyne’s voice voice might be weak and unpleasant to listen to. Perhaps the reason she speaks in a deep voice and frequently shouts is compensation for a weak (less-amplified) voice?

**“Cross-dressing Voices”**

Though Undyne’s deep voice grunts in-game [would suggest](http://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175054437952/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-1) she has a deep voice, other aspects of her speech are up for interpretation.

On YouTube, some of the Undyne voices I’ve listened to are more masculine-sounding. On average, men’s voices are deeper than women’s, due to the larger vocal cords. However, there’s natural variation in male and female voices, so some women speak with deep voices and some men speak with higher-pitched ones.  
Indeed, as the pitch range between men and women overlap in the 100-260 Hertz range[3](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175757397206/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4#fn:4), it’s certainly possible for a woman to produce a voice that is also suitable for a man. This is likely the explanation behind Alana Bridgewater’s [perfectly masculine-sounding singing voice](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dd2xBBDfhWfY&t=Zjc5NDEzODlmYTQ1Y2RmNmY4MDRkM2Y2ZTIzZGU3N2Y5NTdkZmM0MCw4UXpGNVpoNg%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175757397206%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4&m=1)for King Dice from the video game _Cuphead_, or how Brad Bird voices the [odd-sounding](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeB4MuGvogIU&t=MmQyOTAwNTk2ZTFlMjY5NzNlYjY0ZGZkMDE3NzcyNTBmOGVhMTc4Yiw4UXpGNVpoNg%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175757397206%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4&m=1) (but still feminine) Edna Mode of _The Incredibles_.

Thus, it’s not out of the question Undyne’s voice could sound so masculine as to be indistinguishable from a male human’s: after all, who knows about the vocal cord proportions of fish monsters?[4](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175757397206/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4#fn:5)

* * *

  1. [http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/12/why-monkeys-can-t-talk-and-what-they-would-sound-if-they-could ](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencemag.org%2Fnews%2F2016%2F12%2Fwhy-monkeys-can-t-talk-and-what-they-would-sound-if-they-could%25C2%25A0&t=NmI0NTBkZDM3MTI5ZDZiNzcyZGE5ODk3OTRmZTlhNmY4MjVkNzlkZiw4UXpGNVpoNg%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175757397206%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4&m=1)[↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175757397206/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4#fnref:1)

  2. Unless she can breathe through her skin, she’d probably breathe with her mouth open. She might snore when she sleeps. [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175757397206/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4#fnref:3)

  3. [Link](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fuiowa.edu%2Fvoice-academy%2Fmale-female-voices&t=NGZhZDNiYWEzYWM1MzU5OWViOTlkOWEyOTc2NDEwNmQ1NDdiZTg1NCw4UXpGNVpoNg%3D%3D&b=t%3AHZZTbr56CX-Pu8cYzedJTw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fargentdandelion.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F175757397206%2Fwhat-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4&m=1) from Voice Academy. Using this pitch range would probably help in depicting an adult Frisk or Chara that’s still really androgynous. [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175757397206/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4#fnref:4)

  4. To be clear, common vocal/speech patterns among men and women vary on more things than just pitch, but this seemed like an interesting paragraph ending. [↩︎](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/post/175757397206/what-would-undyne-sound-like-part-4#fnref:5)


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